Plenty of Nothing

I wonder if Pavlov ever worked with cats

1000

This is the Japanese character for 1000, brought to you today by the thousandth post at Plenty of Nothing.

Two Reasons to Handle Mail Efficiently in 2008

1. Your credit card company changes the interval from statement (the day they print out the paper) to payment (the day they receive your payment) from 24 to 21 days.  There has been no corresponding increase in the post office's efficiency in moving the statement to and the payment fro.

2. Simultaneously, your credit card company changes its interest rate from 19.75% to 24.75%. This 5% increase is not accompanied by any increase in services, or even prompted by any change in the number of times the card's been whipped out.

Must remember to buy some stamps.

Heather

It's A Long Way Off

December gift giving folly is a long way off I suppose.  But is it really so far away that I can't hint that this might be a nice addition to the oddly growing pile of crow-related reading material?

(via Bookslut)

I'm still on the look-out  for this one, but I don't need this one or this one.

Why crows? Probably my father's fault since he liked to claim he was going off to shoot crows when he and his buddies were headed into the woods to drink beer.  And if it wasn't crow shooting, it was porcupine shooting. And when porcupines or crows weren't to hand, there was beer can shooting or floating bleach bottle shooting.  The advantage of beer cans and bleach containers, I suppose, was that people wouldn't complain that the kids where murdering animals. (Um, yes, lots of target practice. Um, yes, lots of different types of guns. Um, yes, we were all pretty good shots by the time we were 10. And, um, yes, it's not that hard to make your own ammunition.)

Heather

I Seem to be Letting the Side Down

When in doubt, RBOC:

• The flu is a pernicious thing. It zapped me over the holidays and I'm still dragging around. Some people around here think I stay inside too much. It's the flu, I tell you, the flu, not fear of -30 weather or sloth. The flu.

• Why oh why are people seduced by Flash?

• I seem to have come down with a slight case of compulsive behaviour. First it was cataloging the books (just over 1900, and, no, I don't really think that's a lot of books). Then it was Weffriddles which passed quickly. Next up: editing Wikipedia pages. And now, God help me, Second Life looks interesting.

• Inquiring minds want to know: Why does anyone want to be a dental hygienist?

On the reading front

• McCarthy's The Road was gruesome what with the roasted baby and the basement full of "provisions" and I haven't read enough apocalyptic science fiction to place it in the range of pessimistic and dire warnings. The ending disappoints in the same way that the end of Beasts of No Nation disappoints. McCarthy's prose is interesting tho--both spare and lyrical. I've not read anything else of his but I can see that I probably should.

• Sangster's history of women in Canadian Leftist politics was another one of those books that are alternately very interesting since the cover topics I'm dreadfully ignorant about and very frustrating because they're surveys. I'm still curious about Annie Buller and more curious about Beckie Buhay, who was, it turns out, Tom McEwen's common-law wife in the early 30s. Then there's Gladys MacDonald, who spent a year in the Battleford Jail for her newspaper work and once released she was interned in the Kingston Penn for being a Communist.

• I'm reading other things in a desultory fashion. Not much seems compelling enough to spend large chunks of time on it. That'll change I hope cause grasshopper brain gets tiring after a while.

One last thing: why do people dislike the bagpipes? How could you sit still to something like this.

Heather

I'm Sitting Here Coughing Up a Lung

and diffidently changing the channels every 10 seconds in a circular search for something amusing. OMG. Serious colour commentary on Jack Russell terrier races. And the dogs--they are demented. Small packages of craziness chasing a plastic bag. Must watch these freaky dogs. No, no, don't put lumberjacks on instead. Lumberjacks are no fun. Must see more crazy little dogs.

These YouTube dogs are calm in comparison to the hurdling terriers.

Must learn more.

Heather

You May Want To Avert Your Eyes

Last year's green stripey pair have been joined by these.

I hope the other more sedate unders don't start to feel neglected.

Heather

It Wasn't That Odd. Really.

H, picks up phone and dials his work number.
D, answers: "Hello Fragrant WorkPlace."
H: "Do we have a hacksaw?"
D: silence.
H: "So, do we have a hacksaw?"
D: "Yeeessss. It's in the toolbox."
H: "Ok, bye."
D: "Wait. Wait. "
H: silence.
D: "What do you need the hack saw for?"
H: "To hack something."
D: "Can't it wait till I get home?"
H: "Nope. Gotta do it now."
D: "Do what?"
H: "Hack off that rusty-shower-thing. I got a new one."
D: "Use the red-handled wire cutters."
H: "Didn't work. Gonna use that hack saw. Gotta go. Bye"
D: "Wait. Wa. . ."
Click.

It's a crap excuse for a hack saw. Blade doesn't stay in place. But it was better than the pruning saw, the wire strippers, the exacto knife, and the wire cutters. I have defeated the rusting-shower-thing.

There's the phone.

H: picking up the phone but saying nothing as an attempt to foil the telemarketers
D: "Hello. Hello. Hello."
H: "Oh hi"
D: "So how many fingers do you have?"
H: "Enough. Why?"
D: "Weeelll. The line was busy. And I thought maybe you'd had to call emergency and then left the phone off the hook."
H: "But why."
D: "The hack saw. You. Teetering on the edge of the tub. Whack. Slip. Blood."
H: "I used a chair."
D: "Okaaaay."
H: "That's a crap hack saw. And you need a new blade."
D: "Okaaay. I'll see you later."
H: "Yup. Bye."

You know, since he's already imagining blood-spattered bathrooms, this may not be a good time to recommend Haddon's Spot of Bother which I finished yesterday even though I did have to close my eyes for a bit in the middle.

Heather

Good Screen | Bad Screen

So yesterday was "No Screens" day chez nous. I spend most of my work week staring at computer screens and a lamentable part of my free time staring at more screens. And as the season of increased irritation rolled round, I snapped.

The No Screens Measure was invoked householdwide. No vetos allowed. No computers and no televison and no dvds. Householders had to fall back on old-fangled amusements.

Much paper was used. Drawing pencils and beading needles were seen in action. Naps were had. Three and a half books were read. Actual conversations took place.

Verdict on No Screens: Some twitchiness observed at usual-podcast-listening time. Additional twitchiness observed at Google/Wikipedia withdrawal. Less inner twitchiness reported by all householders.

Heather

Almost Too Tired Even For Random Bullets of Crap

Back from visiting relatives.  Oddly exhausting and much of the trip was a lot less fun than a sweaty concert. 

Happy highlights of the visit included

• a trip to Frenchy's where I scored a couple of t-shirts  and a couple of wonderfully ugly work shirts with embroidered logos. (Frenchy's made the New Yorker last week. Calvin Trillin loves it.)  I think Douglas will look quite fetching in Paul's Plumbing snap front shirt.  I'm holding onto the minor hockey tournament t-shirt for myself I think; he can have the Take-One-Down-Hand-It-Around t-shirt
• a dash into Stanfield's outlet shop where my search for long underwear was wildly successful.  He now has all the wooly undershirts he could possibly need. And as an added bonus--even though they were seconds, the arms and legs are the right length. Genuine 100% itchy grey wool Windsor Wear remains elusive.
• a jaunt out Tatamagouche way to the Lismore Sheep Farm yielded some beautiful wooden needles, a drop spindle, and wool that should make up into some good working mittens. My guess is that it'd also make a good gansey.

Heather